Getting a New Case; Fan Recommendations?

[Lil Frier]

I've got my eye on the anidees Crystal Cube for my next build: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...idees_crystal_cube-_-9SIA7TD5NV7228-_-Product

The thing holds an obscene 10 120mm fans--4 in the front, 4 up top, 1 at the bottom, and 1 at the rear (only a rear is included, unless you want to pay more for 4 RGB fans).

I'm trying to find some decent 120mm fans that aren't going to cost me a boatload of money to fill out the case, along with a controller to house them all. Most controllers seem to be for about 6 fans, a few for 8, and I only recall seeing a single controller that will run 10 fans.

I've not set up my own fans in a case before, so I am not 100% sure what I should be aiming for. I would imagine the front and bottom will be intake, rear and top will be exhaust. Should I be putting identical fans around the case for consistency or having stronger fans in the bottom/rear, where it's one fan working alone (versus the 4-fan arrays at the front and top)?

Some recommendations on how to set this up, as well as fan/controller recommendations, would be appreciated.

 

[ClockHound]

You don't have to populate every fan slot in a case. It's not your consumer duty or anything like.

How many fans to populate would depend on what's inside to cool. What's inside to cool?

For the sake of pretending I knew the answer to that, I'd suggest starting with 2 140mm intake fans - they will move as much air as 3x 120mm, but more quietly. Some quality choices would be: Be!Q Silent Wings 3, TY-147sq, Noctua NF-A14 iPPC 24V 3000, NZXT FX140 V2.

If you want RGB LED fans, then you'd need to turn a blind ear to noise and cost. Thermaltake Riing 14 LED RGB kit offers reasonably quiet fans with a bazillion RGB colors for under a bazillion dollars.

For an air-cooled CPU, I'd leave the top unpopulated - would optimize front to back airflow. Then if the GPU cooling required it - add a GT to the bottom. An optimized clean front-to-back airflow will be quieter and cooler than 10x 120mm fans creating extra noise and turbulence. The point of a case, other than showing off stuff that's better hidden, is to supply cool air where needed and exhaust warm air as efficiently and quietly as possible.

For exhaust, I would remove the fan grille and excess PCI slot covers and let the fans on the D15/R1 entrain the airflow. Or use a 3rd fan on the dual tower cooler of my choice.

If the rig is going to be liquid cooled....then there's lot's of space up top for a rad/aio and flashing lighted fans to attract the alien invasion force or something. ;-)

That's my speculation - without knowing the components inside, I just made up my own.

 

[bfun_x1]

It's a dual chambered case. Do you plan on using both sides? Will the back side be used for storage?

 

[Lil Frier]

The back side of the case houses the PSU and drives, so I'll have a PSU, SSD, and HDD back there, plus cable routing.

I haven't picked a GPU yet, since Vega is a pricing and availability disaster. I would like a Strix one, but they are taking so long I would settle on a reference Vega, and if pricing is still terrible in a few weeks, I might opt to get by with a 580 or 1060. CPU's going to be an R7 1700 on the Wrath Spire RGB cooler.

What had me thinking on using the top exhaust was to pull air off the VRMs, which can get a bit toasty on overclocked Ryzen. I won't push anything hard, though.

Since I don't have the case for good review, IDK exactly how the 140mm setup goes in the case. You go from 4 fans to 2 in both the front and top, and I believe the back and rear allow a 120mm max. I think RGB is nice, but not necessary. I'm not one to worry about noise either, since I often play with a headset on and music playing. Still, I wouldn't complain about stuff that's quiet.

 

[ClockHound]

140mm fans fit in front of the main compartment like so:

If using an air cooler for the CPU, clean front-to-back airflow will cool the VRMs better than exhaust fans some distance away that are causing turbulence and robbing the cooler intake of clean intake air. A good dual tower air cooler will provide great VRM cooling.

The usual AIO will provide none. In which case it might be best to mount a 92mm (or 2) fan to the VRM sinks.

1 or 2 80mm intake fans would keep the SSD & hard drive cool enough. They don't require 2X 120mm fans to stay cool.

 

[Lil Frier]

I'm sticking with the stock Wraith on the CPU for now. I'd certainly pick a top exhaust over buying a dual-tower CPU cooler (in terms of price).

I'm asking out of curiosity, not arguing, but would 2 80mm and 2 140mm on the front really come out quieter than 4 120mm fans? I imagine the cooling is more efficient, just because I'll have the 140s in the warmer chamber, while the 80s would be enough for the lower-temp side, which just has the PSU for a real heat source.

Couple other thoughts I had on it--well, questions...

Regarding the bottom fan, would it make sense to have it as an intake if I end up with a reference Vega with the blower cooler, but consider it for an exhaust if I end up with a card that's got multiple fans pushing hot air downward? IDK which card I'll end up with, but wondered on that.

How troublesome is the crosswind of a top exhaust? I get there's a concern on it in a 4-fan array, since it might pull clean, cooler air before it hits the CPU and VRMs. What I was thinking, though, is just shoving one exhaust at the back of the top. Then, it's only exhausting warm air to supplement the rear. Thoughts pop in my head before I finish the last on this, but would it make ANY sense to use the rear as an intake, then do exhaust through the top? Then, you have cool air coming in from the front and back and the "warm air rises" concept is used by the top (that's probably going back to 2x140mm or 4x120mm on the top).

Lastly, in the event this matters, I'm not keeping this on the floor. It will be on a desk (the reason I'm going for a cube). It's going to have plenty of open space on all 4 sides, no carpeting or being close to a wall that's going to let heat build up around the case..

 

[ClockHound]

I'm sticking with the stock Wraith on the CPU for now. I'd certainly pick a top exhaust over buying a dual-tower CPU cooler (in terms of price).

I'm asking out of curiosity, not arguing, but would 2 80mm and 2 140mm on the front really come out quieter than 4 120mm fans? I imagine the cooling is more efficient, just because I'll have the 140s in the warmer chamber, while the 80s would be enough for the lower-temp side, which just has the PSU for a real heat source.

Not if the fans are chosen for their noise vs flow characteristics. And selected for the cooling purpose - the 2 140mm would provide sufficient air flow for the cpu and gpu. Even a single 80mm would provide enough airflow for the drives - 2x 120mm will only provide extra noise and excessive cooling - since both drives will use less than 10W max.

Want to direct the airflow where it's needed - and that's cpu and gpu.

Couple other thoughts I had on it--well, questions...

Regarding the bottom fan, would it make sense to have it as an intake if I end up with a reference Vega with the blower cooler, but consider it for an exhaust if I end up with a card that's got multiple fans pushing hot air downward? IDK which card I'll end up with, but wondered on that.

Non-reference GPU fans don't pull air down towards the bottom of the case. They push air down on the gpu heatsink and then the heated gpu air is blown around the case. Want to have the shortest exhaust path for the heated air and that is out the rear of the case - hence optimizing for clean front-to-back airflow. Removing spare pci slot covers assists with air exhausting out the rear.

How troublesome is the crosswind of a top exhaust? I get there's a concern on it in a 4-fan array, since it might pull clean, cooler air before it hits the CPU and VRMs. What I was thinking, though, is just shoving one exhaust at the back of the top. Then, it's only exhausting warm air to supplement the rear. Thoughts pop in my head before I finish the last on this, but would it make ANY sense to use the rear as an intake, then do exhaust through the top? Then, you have cool air coming in from the front and back and the "warm air rises" concept is used by the top (that's probably going back to 2x140mm or 4x120mm on the top).

Air doesn't like to turn corners - when it's pushed or pulled in more than one direction the result is turbulence and hot spots. Warm air only rises in still air - in forced-air systems the hot air goes with the flow.

Not saying a 2nd top exhaust won't work - but it may not be the optimal solution. If you're set on using the stock Wraith, then a 140mm rear exhaust will be a good option.

Lastly, in the event this matters, I'm not keeping this on the floor. It will be on a desk (the reason I'm going for a cube). It's going to have plenty of open space on all 4 sides, no carpeting or being close to a wall that's going to let heat build up around the case..

That's good. And makes the case for strong front-to-back airflow setup even stronger. Want to keep the source of cool intake air as far away from the exhaust flow as possible.

 

[Lil Frier]

The one issue I will face there is that the rear and bottom only allow for 120mm fans. That's what had me debating to top exhaust, but I could always start with the rear and adjust (add/swap game) if there are any thermal issues.

That leaves me with two things to address:

1. I would likely go with 2 140 (front left), 2 120 (rear/bottom), and then 2-3 80 mm (front right). From an aesthetic point of view, is there a fan model that comes in all 3 sizes, so it isn't a mix of different fans that look a little weird? Any that would be RGB (this would be more for the 140/80 up front, where they would be visible)?

2. Any idea of a good controller that will handle 6-7 fans? I suppose that is dictated by the fans chosen, since pin counts vary.

 

[ClockHound]

1. Noctua makes great versions in all those sizes - not RGB versions tho. 3x 80mm is overkill for a single HD and SSD. 1 will suffice.

If you want to spend more for bling consider an RGB LED fan frame like the Phanteks Halos Lux RGB Fan Frame - can choose a quiet efficient fan and make it all sparkly too. Good choice with the Phanteks SP/XP series. Or TR TY-147sq fans and Noc NF-A14 chromax.black.

If you're willing to trade airflow efficiency/noise for bling, there's the Corsair HD140 - $75 for 2 fans with its own controller. Or the TT Ring RGB 140mm. Tradeoffs.

2. Controllers. Do you want to use PWM case fans or 3pin Voltage controlled fans?

The benefit of PWM fans is they can spin slower than 3pin fans - so less noise at idle - and curve can be set to ramp up as load dictates. Silverstone makes an 8 port PWM hub. It is a port multiplier - the PWM signal from motherboard controls all the fan's PWM duty cycle - it uses a SATA connector from the PSU to supply 12V to the PWM fans.

Controlling a large number of 3 pin fans requires a more costly controller - since it must provide the variable voltage and dissipate heat. TT 6 Channel controller for 3pin case fans is a decent starting point. The Lamptron 6 channel is better.

I use PWM case fans from a hub in all my builds now - cheaper, simpler than 3pin fan control - it's set and forget - system load increases, case fans spool up to supply more cool air. When I used multi-chan 3pin fan controllers, spent too much time micro-managing fan speeds - it really is a job best suited to a computer. ;-)

 

[aigomorla]

https://www.amazon.com/Airflow-Adju...=UTF8&qid=1511821359&sr=8-3&keywords=Aigo+fan

Its a pretty good price for RGB fans to show off on a Tempered Glass case like that.

They have there own controller, and they are also PWM,the controller is a must tho, as its not a standard 4pin plug. They are fairly quiet, but they dont give you that great of static.

I would not recommend using them for a heat sink or radiator fan, unless your overkilling on the cooling department, or its in a meat locker as they don't have a lot of static pressure.
But if its for eye candy / front intake / rear exhaust, the RGB effects those fans do are quite epic, and put TT's Ring fan's to shame.

And no i am not affiliated with the company... nor do i represent the company in any way...

 

[Freddy1765]

The back side of the case houses the PSU and drives, so I'll have a PSU, SSD, and HDD back there, plus cable routing.

I haven't picked a GPU yet, since Vega is a pricing and availability disaster. I would like a Strix one, but they are taking so long I would settle on a reference Vega, and if pricing is still terrible in a few weeks, I might opt to get by with a 580 or 1060. CPU's going to be an R7 1700 on the Wrath Spire RGB cooler.
.

It sounds like you're doing a bog-standard build with just a couple of drives and a single GPU configuration. Are you sure this is the case you want? It's going to take up way more space than a regular mid-tower and it won't offer you any benefits whatsoever unless you plan on sticking an absolute boatload of HDDs or SSDs into the second chamber. Also seems like you're going to be wasting a lot of money on fans you wouldn't need in a standard ATX case.

 

[Lil Frier]

1. Noctua makes great versions in all those sizes - not RGB versions tho. 3x 80mm is overkill for a single HD and SSD. 1 will suffice.

If you want to spend more for bling consider an RGB LED fan frame like the Phanteks Halos Lux RGB Fan Frame - can choose a quiet efficient fan and make it all sparkly too. Good choice with the Phanteks SP/XP series. Or TR TY-147sq fans and Noc NF-A14 chromax.black.

If you're willing to trade airflow efficiency/noise for bling, there's the Corsair HD140 - $75 for 2 fans with its own controller. Or the TT Ring RGB 140mm. Tradeoffs.

2. Controllers. Do you want to use PWM case fans or 3pin Voltage controlled fans?

The benefit of PWM fans is they can spin slower than 3pin fans - so less noise at idle - and curve can be set to ramp up as load dictates. Silverstone makes an 8 port PWM hub. It is a port multiplier - the PWM signal from motherboard controls all the fan's PWM duty cycle - it uses a SATA connector from the PSU to supply 12V to the PWM fans.

Controlling a large number of 3 pin fans requires a more costly controller - since it must provide the variable voltage and dissipate heat. TT 6 Channel controller for 3pin case fans is a decent starting point. The Lamptron 6 channel is better.

I use PWM case fans from a hub in all my builds now - cheaper, simpler than 3pin fan control - it's set and forget - system load increases, case fans spool up to supply more cool air. When I used multi-chan 3pin fan controllers, spent too much time micro-managing fan speeds - it really is a job best suited to a computer. ;-)

The whole 3x80 thing is really just an act of aesthetic OCD. I think it'll look weird to have just 1...maybe if I put it in the center of the frame, it'll look OK! The Lux frame seems really neat, I like that. However, with that, it's pushing 5 fans to about $175, which is more than I'd care to spend on getting all 10 fan slots filled with RGB spinners, let alone getting 5 fans and only 4 lit (since they don't make the frame to fit an 80mm).I had looked at the Corsairs before, when I was looking at 120mm, but the discounted 3-packs were always sold out. That, and they don't seem to be Aura compatible--something I can live with, but a plus if I can find it (few RGB controllers work with Aura, if I remember correctly). I had actually been checking out the In Win Polaris fans, which work in a daisy chain, but they are 120mm only. I haven't checked their Aurora line to see what the size offerings are there (In Win's stuff will run off the ASUS RGB header).

I'll definitely prefer PWM, given those prices. $50 vs. $20 for a controller? I'll go $20, especially when it sounds as if the PWM fans have more functionality. I'll have to get a better look at the non-RGB fans you mentioned, just to see if one or another looks better in that case. Like I said, I'm not dying for RGB, but if it's functional and not obscenely expensive, I'll spend for it. I'm not worried about adding noise as a trade-off; like I said, I'm usually wearing a headset with music on anyway. I appreciate all the feedback, it's been quite helpful

https://www.amazon.com/Airflow-Adju...=UTF8&qid=1511821359&sr=8-3&keywords=Aigo+fan

Its a pretty good price for RGB fans to show off on a Tempered Glass case like that.

They have there own controller, and they are also PWM,the controller is a must tho, as its not a standard 4pin plug. They are fairly quiet, but they dont give you that great of static.

I would not recommend using them for a heat sink or radiator fan, unless your overkilling on the cooling department, or its in a meat locker as they don't have a lot of static pressure.
But if its for eye candy / front intake / rear exhaust, the RGB effects those fans do are quite epic, and put TT's Ring fan's to shame.

And no i am not affiliated with the company... nor do i represent the company in any way...

Those seem pretty neat, though the limitation of only 120mm fans is a bit of a letdown. I'd have to get 6 and go with a 4-fan array up front, rather than the aforementioned discussion of 2 140s and an 80. Disappointing that they don't do ASUS Aura either, but it wouldn't kill me.

 

[Lil Frier]

It sounds like you're doing a bog-standard build with just a couple of drives and a single GPU configuration. Are you sure this is the case you want? It's going to take up way more space than a regular mid-tower and it won't offer you any benefits whatsoever unless you plan on sticking an absolute boatload of HDDs or SSDs into the second chamber. Also seems like you're going to be wasting a lot of money on fans you wouldn't need in a standard ATX case.

Yes, I like the cube style more than the tower for a PC that's going to be on my desk. It's got a wider, more stable base. It's going to be running a VR headset, so I feel better if it's that sturdier case that's less likely to fall over if tugged a bit (as opposed to a tower that's more top-heavy, especially with a top-mounted PSU).

I know it's an overkill case size/style, but given it's going on a shelf that's dedicated to my PC already (just in an ITX case), it's not like it's taking away room I could be using for other things. I like that it's going to be roomy and have good routing for cable management (like having the PSU behind the board tray). I also don't really see it as THAT much wasted money. I will probably end up spending $150-175 on the whole setup. It's a bit more than I'd like, but given what it offers, it's not too bad.

 

[Freddy1765]

Yes, I like the cube style more than the tower for a PC that's going to be on my desk. It's got a wider, more stable base. It's going to be running a VR headset, so I feel better if it's that sturdier case that's less likely to fall over if tugged a bit (as opposed to a tower that's more top-heavy, especially with a top-mounted PSU).

I know it's an overkill case size/style, but given it's going on a shelf that's dedicated to my PC already (just in an ITX case), it's not like it's taking away room I could be using for other things. I like that it's going to be roomy and have good routing for cable management (like having the PSU behind the board tray). I also don't really see it as THAT much wasted money. I will probably end up spending $150-175 on the whole setup. It's a bit more than I'd like, but given what it offers, it's not too bad.

I don't think anyone really makes cases with top-mounted PSUs anymore, it's certainly not something you see often. I've no experience with VR, but it seems unlikely that you're going to topple the case over unless you get really immersed!
With respect to cable management, there's really no added benefit in this case that I can see. You can easily get a tower with great airflow, great cable management, room for your drives and clean looks with a power supply shroud and a large tempered glass window.

If you like the cube design then that's great, I also prioritise aesthetics when choosing a case. Just don't choose it because you think it offers any actual, practical advantages over a mid-tower, because it really, really doesn't (for the use-case you've described).

 

[Lil Frier]

I don't think anyone really makes cases with top-mounted PSUs anymore, it's certainly not something you see often. I've no experience with VR, but it seems unlikely that you're going to topple the case over unless you get really immersed!
With respect to cable management, there's really no added benefit in this case that I can see. You can easily get a tower with great airflow, great cable management, room for your drives and clean looks with a power supply shroud and a large tempered glass window.

If you like the cube design then that's great, I also prioritise aesthetics when choosing a case. Just don't choose it because you think it offers any actual, practical advantages over a mid-tower, because it really, really doesn't (for the use-case you've described).

It's mostly the aesthetic. I've done a bit of VR with my cousin, and there was a bit of tugging (not bad). As for the cable management, it's more an aesthetic management, not a functional one. Having the PSU in the back means fewer cables showing, and the rear drive mounting seems nice as well. But yes, like you, I'm mostly making an aesthetic decision. I could get something similar from, say, a Thermaltake View, but I like the cube layout.